Victims of the guarimbas of 2014 and 2017 and their family members meet Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. Photo: Presidential Press.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, met victims of the various stages of political violence in the country and their family members and thank them for joining in the implementation of the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence.
In the meeting, held on Monday, February 23, the acting president acknowledged the suffering of those who have endured the consequences of violence and noted her personal connection to these people. “We have known each other for a long time, because we have been very close to each of you,” Rodríguez said, echoing the suffering of the families affected in the violent protests by the far-right opposition in 2014 and 2017.
Rodríguez also emphasized that the protests of those years were not peaceful acts, but were marked by armed violence. She remembered the public security officials who lost their lives in the line of duty while defending security and public order, and underscored the need to recognize the complexity and pain surrounding these events.
In a brief analysis of Venezuela’s political history, she identified several factors that have contributed to political violence, including social and economic exclusion, as well as the political exclusion of those with projects that threaten national sovereignty.
She also reflected on the 1960s and 1970s, when young dreamers fought for a free and independent country, confronting a political class that had betrayed the ideals of the January 23 movement. This betrayal, in her view, laid the foundation for anti-national projects that continue to gravely affect the country.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SC
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
